Keep Your Family Safe This Summer with a Pool Alarm

When the temperatures start to rise, most Americans start looking for a way to stay cool and beat the heat. One of the best and most relaxing ways is with your own swimming pool. If you own a pool, you need to look at options for keeping your family safe from harm. One way for you do to this is with a pool alarm. Here are the three major types of pool alarms and how they work to keep you safe:

• Surface Wave Sensor — The first type of alarm system for your pool is a surface wave sensor system. A surface wave sensor will float on top of the water’s surface. This system has two contact points that form an electrical circuit. One of these is in the pool’s water. The other is fixed so that it lies above the surface of the water. If the second contact is touched by water, then the circuit is completed. This, in turn, triggers an alarm that can alert you. The second contact will only touch water and set off the alarm if it is hit by a wave caused by the surface of the water being broken. So if a child jumps or falls into the pool when the alarm is armed, the alarm will sound alerting you to the situation.• Subsurface Disturbance Sensor — The second type of alarm system has two sensors that are fixed to the side of a pool. These sensors are placed anywhere between half an inch to a foot below the pool’s surface. They use a pressure-sensitive switch found at the head of a sensing throat that senses any disturbance under the surface of the water. If someone enters the pool while the system is armed, the alarm will sound.• Wristband — The third type of alarm system places an alarm on the child instead of the pool itself. In this system, the child has a wristband placed on his or her arm and affixed there with a locking key in order to keep it from being removed. The wristband has a sensor inside of it that will trigger an alarm if the sensor becomes wet. These wristband sensors are one-time use items. If the sensor touches water and sounds the alarm, then it will have to be replaced in order to work again.

If you have a pool, you need to consider safety precautions for your family and anyone else who may visit your home. Even if you are not home, some municipalities hold the homeowner responsible if a child were to enter the yard and fall into the pool. A pool alarm can alert you if anyone falls into your pool. Consider your specific situation and asses what type of pool alarm would be best for your home.